~:[CH13 - Day 122]:~ Mining the Gold

 
~:[CH13 - Day 122]:~ Mining the Gold

It was a busy day. Our hardest workout of the week, followed by an ice bath, backed by Premios de Oro. I thought the timing would be alright, but realized the ceremony was at 6pm, so I had a tight window to transition. Regardless, I made it. It was a little bittersweet. I love this ceremony and to hear Mr. Walker speak up there is always great as he makes the students feel so special for this honor. However, with this being his last Premios, I soaked it all in. As much as he puts emphasis on the students being the golden prize, he himself has been a golden prize for this school. His energy and spirit were injected on our campus when he arrived at a moment we most needed it. Through my life, I've crossed paths with many "leaders" and there are some who speak loudly, but do very little to demonstrate their leadership. There are others, like Mr. Walker, that no matter what is being said, already earn the respect of so many through action. There are many roles that a leader must take on, but often times, the most important is simply being present. To be the model, you inspire others to do the same or lead many down the wrong path. I've seen my share of both, but it's rare to see someone who attended so many events from spotlight sporting events to the ones that no many people attend. He was visible, he was energetic, and that in itself turned around the environment on campus. We faced our ups and downs, but the reality is, that through it all, he was leading through the work, time and effort that he put in. As he talked about those golden prizes that we honored tonight (our students), they only shine like they do when there is someone there to mine them to show their glory to the world. Mr. Walker inspires us to do just that, to work hard with our students and help them shine like the golden prizes that they are. Titles should not be the thing that helps you decide who to follow, rather, I hope that we can open our eyes and truly see the leaders that are around us. Often times those leaders are not the ones who speak the loudest, but truly show us what it takes, because at the end of the day, instead of telling us about all the gold around us, they've already rolled up their sleeves and are working towards mining that precious gold. Congratulations to all of those who are our golden prizes, to all those who are working to be one of those golden prizes, and to those who helped mine them - the community around them.